Vegetarian? (sensitive topic?)

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by Puffin83
I'm a strict vegan, but I don't mind that Fluff(George) eats meat because it is naturally an instinct of his, but he will only eat it if reduced into his kibble

Isn't it a natural instict of our's as well? I don't believe it is cruelty to eat meat because that's how God made us and many animals. If it isn't cruelty to give your kitty or pup a treat of beef or chicken, it isn't cruelty to treat yourself with meat every now and then as well. I don't have anything at all against vegetarians or their choice; its actually good for your health to avoid meat, but it is not bad for you to eat it once in a while. What my point is that you all are feeding your pet cats and dogs meat. Obviously, those animals have been killed to provide for for your animals. If animals can be killed for food for other animals, why can't certain animals be killed for food for ourselves? This is my opinion and I hope I didn't offend anyone. I just want to say what I personally feel on this matter. And of course, I'm a total animal lover; I love almost all animals including the ones that we eat......goats, lambs, cows, chicken, etc. But I don't believe its a sin to eat their meat because that's how God made us and many of our furry friends!

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by slleipnir
I am not a vegetarian. I don't mean to stirr anything up, but its my opinion to this. I feel that eatting meat is a natural part of life. I don't eat a lot, but enough to get what I need from it. If you look in the wild, animals do it all the time, and thats how god made them. I have nothing against people who wish to eat only veggies, thats how they see it. But who is to say veggys don't feel either? Just because they don't cry out, doesn't neccessarily mean they don't feel pain? Does it? I've been thinking about that a lot, and I don't know..does anyone else know?? Like, if scientists did some sort of experiment or something..I don't mean to make anyone mad..but thats how I feel about it..please don't that anything the wrong way

I agree with you.

[pupper-lover]

Interesting dicussion. Well . . .

Our digestive tracts are long and rough and almost identical to a herbivore's. This type of digestive system is designed for a diet that consists almost entirely, if not completely, of plant based products. That's not to say our bodies are not intended to ever consume animal protein, but the human body is not designed to digest the amount of animal protein most people in the western world eat. When animal protein is broken down, it's "waste" is turned into carcinogens. Our long digestive tract traps the carcinogens. Some of it can be taken care of by the body, but excess amounts build up and can lead to cancer.

While, it may not be "unnatural" for animals to eat each other, there is nothing natural about factory farming. Animals are starved, suffocated, mutilated, ground up, electricuted, dragged, piled on one another, living in their own waste and the waste of other animals, and shot up with drugs to keep them alive. It's one thing to have cows grazing in a field and your own chicken to lay eggs for you, it's another thing to "process" an animal while it is still alive and is feeling every moment of the pain.

It would be interesting to find out if plants do feel pain, but since they do not have a brain or central nervous system (as far as I know?), I'm not sure how it would be possible. Animals do feel pain, and there is no doubt about that. That is why I am against the horrible treatment that occurs in factory farming. This abuse does occur in the beef, pork, poultry, egg, and dairy industries(this includes leather, wool, etc.).

I do not want my life to thrive on suffering and violence, in any form. The world will never be perfect. There will always be a war going on somewhere, a child starving, an animal being abused. For me, choosing not to support industries that blatantly abuse animals is a way of peaceful living. Every bite of meat I took was a reminder of the severe pain and humilation I was inflicting upon another creature. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I was causing so much pain to creatures so innocent. I could never look an animal in the face and kill it, so I why should I send someone else to do my dirty work for me?

We all have our ways of contributing to the world, and becoming a veg was mine. As a wise man once said, "I cannot do everything, but I can do something."

--- Disclaimer: My words are meant to inform, not attack! ---

[popcornbird]

I am against the treatment of animals in large farms in the US. It is totally inhumane to starve animals, provide them with the least space, give them electric shocks, and kill them by machinery. Who knows how much the electric shock and mashine slaughter must hurt the poor animals. The country where I originate from does not treat livestock in this manner. They are often raised on family farms where they are loved and treated as their own pets during their life. When its time for them to go, our religion commands us to hand-slaughter them in the most humane way possible. There is a certain technique we use in slaughtering livestock, and any animal slaughtered in another way is unlawful for us to eat. For example, the meat sold at Safeway, etc. in the US is unlawful for me or anyone of my religion to eat. In the US, many people of our type have their own farms where they slaughter animals in the proper way and send the meat to certain stores. Those stores are where we buy our meat. The meat at Safeway and other stores is forbidden for us to eat because our religion forbade us from slaughtering animals in that manner. I do not like electric shocks either. I do not consider them humane. Thanks for the "nutrition lesson" Puppylover. I know that we are not created to eat too much meat, but we are created to eat some meat, which my family does. My family eats red meat once or twice a week and chicken 2 times a week. The rest of the days we eat veggies.

[mugsy]

popcorn bird...where are you from?? What religion do you belong to...it sounds almost like Jewish and eating kosher meat. I would be interested in hearing more of the practices.

As far as our bodies, our teeth are that of omnivores, not herbivores or carnivores, nor do we have the stomachs of most herbivores, but, because we are able to choose, we can eat whatever we want.

A carnivore in the wild (which dogs and cats would obviously belong) has to kill animals in order to survive. We as humans have a choice whether we eat meat or not. Our bodies need protein in order to survive, and I know that some beans and other veggies have protein in them, but from what I can tell there isn't enough to build lean muscle mass effciently.

Just my take on the whole thing. What people want to eat is their choice and I'm not going to judge them one way or the other, and I'm so happy to see that no one on this thread is doing that...that's what makes it pleasant and interesting to read and hear others' views.

Thanks all for being so upbeat!!

[Puffin83]

When I was younger I thought hot dogs were made out of male dog privates

[AdoreMyDogs]

Originally posted by pupper-lover
Interesting dicussion. Well . . .

Our digestive tracts are long and rough and almost identical to a herbivore's. This type of digestive system is designed for a diet that consists almost entirely, if not completely, of plant based products. That's not to say our bodies are not intended to ever consume animal protein, but the human body is not designed to digest the amount of animal protein most people in the western world eat. When animal protein is broken down, it's "waste" is turned into carcinogens. Our long digestive tract traps the carcinogens. Some of it can be taken care of by the body, but excess amounts build up and can lead to cancer.

While, it may not be "unnatural" for animals to eat each other, there is nothing natural about factory farming. Animals are starved, suffocated, mutilated, ground up, electricuted, dragged, piled on one another, living in their own waste and the waste of other animals, and shot up with drugs to keep them alive. It's one thing to have cows grazing in a field and your own chicken to lay eggs for you, it's another thing to "process" an animal while it is still alive and is feeling every moment of the pain.

It would be interesting to find out if plants do feel pain, but since they do not have a brain or central nervous system (as far as I know?), I'm not sure how it would be possible. Animals do feel pain, and there is no doubt about that. That is why I am against the horrible treatment that occurs in factory farming. This abuse does occur in the beef, pork, poultry, egg, and dairy industries(this includes leather, wool, etc.).

I do not want my life to thrive on suffering and violence, in any form. The world will never be perfect. There will always be a war going on somewhere, a child starving, an animal being abused. For me, choosing not to support industries that blatantly abuse animals is a way of peaceful living. Every bite of meat I took was a reminder of the severe pain and humilation I was inflicting upon another creature. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I was causing so much pain to creatures so innocent. I could never look an animal in the face and kill it, so I why should I send someone else to do my dirty work for me?

We all have our ways of contributing to the world, and becoming a veg was mine. As a wise man once said, "I cannot do everything, but I can do something."

--- Disclaimer: My words are meant to inform, not attack! ---

What a truly wise thing to say. I fully respect what you wrote and how you worded it. Very, very well done and very wise and kind. That is how I feel but you worded it so much better then me

[aly]

Please don't tell me that vegetables feel pain... I'd have to starve to death because there would be nothing left to eat!!

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by aly
Please don't tell me that vegetables feel pain... I'd have to starve to death because there would be nothing left to eat!!

LOL!

[Puffin83]

Originally posted by slleipnir
I am not a vegetarian. I don't mean to stirr anything up, but its my opinion to this. I feel that eatting meat is a natural part of life. I don't eat a lot, but enough to get what I need from it. If you look in the wild, animals do it all the time, and thats how god made them. I have nothing against people who wish to eat only veggies, thats how they see it. But who is to say veggys don't feel either? Just because they don't cry out, doesn't neccessarily mean they don't feel pain? Does it? I've been thinking about that a lot, and I don't know..does anyone else know?? Like, if scientists did some sort of experiment or something..I don't mean to make anyone mad..but thats how I feel about it..please don't that anything the wrong way

First of all, there is no god, this is the cause of evolution. Evolution has been proven. Don't pretend it hasn't been. And because of the possibility animals(Some of them) developed hunting skills, finding it the first option, that they could run well...thus catching animals and finding that it was edible, yet another class first found that they could eat plants without interacting with other animals due to their lack of claws, speed, but they could use thir bulk or in some their speed to cause random selection. There is no god, evolution has been proven. Don't play dumb.

[mugsy]

Aly you're such a weirdo!! lol

You know we love you though!!

[Puffin83]

Originally posted by aly
Please don't tell me that vegetables feel pain... I'd have to starve to death because there would be nothing left to eat!!

Thats it! We'll eat rocks!

[mugsy]

I'm sorry to disagree with you Puffin, but that's what makes our world a great place to be, but I believe in evolution (being that I spent 4 years as a geology major, it would be pretty hard not to! ) AND I believe in God...I've never understood why the 2 have to be mutually exclusive. But, then we're getting off the entire jist of this thread, so I'll just leave it at that.

[mugsy]

Do you prefer igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary?? lol

[Puffin83]

Because we have the option not to, poppy. There is no god. Random selection is the key here. You can't pretend that evolution hasn't been proven. It has, you know it. You just want to live forever in heaven, etc etc. Thats crap.